Fire Brigade Honour

Son, Station Officer David Cairns, congratulates his father. WB-07-0190-10-tn.jpg.

On Friday 21 September the United Fire Brigades Association (UFBA) Gold Star was awarded to General Service Hand (GSH) Bruce Cairns at a ceremony at the Woodbourne Fire Station.

The medal is presented to people who have completed 25 years service to the UFBA in a ‘fire’ role.

GSH Cairns joined the Christchurch Metropolitan Fire Brigade in 1970 and served with them until 1986. He then joined the RNZAF at Woodbourne and worked at the Electroplating Bay until 1998 when the running of the complex was taken over by Safe Air. GSH Cairns then moved to the Fire Section where he took on the position of Fire Extinguisher Servicing Tech and relief watchroom attendant. Bruce is responsible for the day-to-day servicing of about 370 extinguishers.

A family affair. GSH Bruce Cairns’ family and friends were on hand to celebrate his 25 years of dedicated service. WB-07-0190-20-tn.jpg.

The presentation ceremony was a complete surprise to Bruce and was attended by COOSW – WGCDR Dave Green, representatives from the New Zealand Fire Service, ex-workmates from the Electroplating Bay and members of the Woodbourne Fire Section along with Bruce’s family.

Past President of the UFBA, Mr Dave McFarlane, passed the responsibility for pinning the award to GSH Cairns on to Bruce’s son David who is a serving Station Officer in the NZ Fire Service. It is believed that this is the first time in New Zealand that a son has made this presentation to his father.

With GSH Cairns’ family spread around the world, this was the first time they had all been together in 22 years making this a special day for Bruce and his wife Rosemary